Sex offender William Lewis jailed for Bellarine Rail Trail abduction

A sex offender who dragged a nine-year-old schoolgirl into bushes by the Bellarine Rail Trail displayed little empathy or remorse, or capacity to change.

William Lewis of Clifton Springs has been charged with a slew of offences, including abduction or detention of a child for a sexual purpose. Picture: Facebook.

A remorseless sex offender who attacked a nine-year-old schoolgirl has been lambasted by a judge as a danger to the community.

William Lewis, 54, appeared in the County Court at Geelong on Friday, where he was jailed for a maximum of eight years and three months by Judge Michael Tinney for offences including abducting or detaining a child for a sexual purpose.

The Clifton Springs man was already a registered sex offender when he launched a “frightening” attack on a nine-year-old girl on the Bellarine Rail Trail on June 24 last year.

Lewis pulled down his pants and exposed himself to his victim, before grabbing her arm and pushing her into some nearby bushes.

The victim managed to escape, kicking Lewis in the groin before contacting a sibling.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Michael Tinney was frank in his assessment of Lewis, telling the 54-year-old: “get it into your head, you must not sexually offend against any other person”.

The court heard Lewis’ history of sex crimes stretched back decades and he had “offended against girls and women, whether they’re alone or in company, asleep or awake”.

“You I’m afraid, are a real menace. I must protect the community from you,” Judge Tinney said.

Judge Tinney accepted Lewis’ background was disadvantaged, but any reduction to his moral culpability was not substantial; Lewis had been committing sexual offences for over 30 years.

“Time and time again, steps have been taken by courts in an endeavour to foster your rehabilitation and lead you away from crime. Time and time again, you’ve just continued to offend,” Judge Tinney told Lewis.

Following his arrest for the Bellarine Rail Trail attack, the court heard Lewis gave a “very strange” police interview, in which he chose to give mostly no comment answers, before making some “extremely damaging admissions” that he then began to back-pedal from.

Judge Tinney acknowledged an impact statement written by the now-10-year-old victim that was not read in court, but described “a large, ongoing impact”.

“As brief as your conduct was … it was deeply frightening and your victim will continue to be significantly affected into the future,” Judge Tinney told Lewis.

A psychological report tendered to the court had a “poor outlook” on Lewis and Judge Tinney was not satisfied Lewis had shone any genuine remorse.

The court heard the prosecution argued Lewis had no prospects at all, and while he was not prepared to go that far, Judge Tinney said the evidence before him suggested Lewis had “virtually no prospects”.

“You simply cannot or will not control your conduct,” Judge Tinney said.

“What a miracle it was, that your young victim actually fought you off. Many might not have, and then what?”

Judge Tinney said Lewis had little by way of community supports other than his in-laws and had “seemingly no real desire to change”.

“You seemingly cannot live in the community, without offending sexually,” Judge Tinney said.

“You are a dangerous individual.”

Without a plea, Judge Tinney said he would have jailed Lewis for a decade.

Originally published as Sex offender William Lewis jailed for Bellarine Rail Trail abduction